


Healing.

by carpethefanfics



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Break Up, Eventual Fluff, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Heartbreak, Make Up, NSFW, Sadness, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-26
Updated: 2017-06-26
Packaged: 2018-11-19 08:25:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11309529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carpethefanfics/pseuds/carpethefanfics
Summary: As Katara grows into strongest Master Waterbender of both the Southern and Norther tribes, as Aang grows into the Avatar he was always meant to be leaving, there is little space left for love to grow.





	Healing.

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: NSFW
> 
> Enjoy.

Everyone had always told her in whispered conversations and words under their breath that being with the Avatar would be near impossible. At their words she always pictured images of herself alone tiptoeing through empty halls, waking up to no face on the pillow next to hers and staring blankly out their windows waiting for him to return. 

What she hadn’t anticipated, what everyone had failed to notice, was how busy  _she_ would be. 

As she grew up, as she came to perfect her abilities, the world bestowed on her the title of the youngest master waterbender and healer that the Southern Water Tribe had ever known in their history. As a result, she was constantly being whisked away to meet world leaders, train waterbenders in both tribes and hold a seat on international councils to discuss her nations contributions to maintaining peace.

But that meant her time with Aang was practically nonexistent.

The beginning of their relationship, one that had become much more than friendship, was easy and simple. They were best of friends, they fell into step seamlessly, it was like it was destined to be. Her hand fit the curve of Aang’s, his the small of her back. They spent endless hours together travelling as kids, endless soft glances and gentle touches.

But the older they got the less time they found to slip away. They grew up but their relationship never did. 

Aang was gallivanting across the world with Firelord Zuko repairing the dishonor of the Fire Nation, Katara was furthering the development of the Southern and Northern tribes. And the time they did get to spend together when they happened to be in the same place at the same time was blissful. Wrapping herself up in the weight of his arms, the sweet smell of lotus on his skin. But when she had to tear herself from him little pieces of her heart seemed to fall from her chest. 

The goodbyes were harder each time in spite of how sweet the hellos were. 

It was one of the reasons why they had ultimately  **broken up**.

It had been three years now since Katara had been in the same room with Aang, every time there was an event or a meeting she refused to go. She couldn’t stand there across the room knowing those hands would one day touch another, those lips. She couldn’t stare into those eyes and feel anything but her own hear shattering. And breaking it along with her best friend’s was one of the hardest things she had ever had to do. 

_But it was easier than facing the reality that she was always to love a man who would never fully be hers._

Which meant working, distracting herself, never staying in the same place long enough to let herself question her choice. Over these last six months she had decided to work with the healers of the Fire Nation teaching them apply water tribe techniques that would quicken healing times and reduce scarring from burns. 

And at the request of one of her dearest friends while his wife was expecting their first child.

That meant she had been staying in the Firelord’s palace and keeping Mai company while Zuko was away in the Earth Nation discussing the persistence of poverty in the Lower Ring of Ba Sing Se. It was nice to spend time with her especially since Mai wasn’t one to get emotional, wasn’t one to pester her about her loneliness or why the bags under her eyes seemed darker every day. 

But then night would come, the moon would rise and Katara was left with the thoughts she never let herself think. Especially since her mind made it hard to sleep and all she could think about was Aang. She hated imaging the look on his face when she walked away. Hated herself for being able to pull herself from him when he was grasping for air, for forgiveness,  _for her._  Hated that her memories of him begging her on his knees with his hands on her neck and his lips on every bit of skin he could find praying she would come home to him.

_‘But I love you Katara, why can’t that be enough?’_

She tore herself form her window and ventured to the gardens surrounding the palace’s inner walls. They were beautiful this time of year, the reds and yellows and oranges made her less anxious, less worried, less sad. She sat down next to the small pond in the garden and dipped her feet in. She still felt uneasy, her heart still weighted down, but she could ignore that and focus on the ebb and flow of the water before her.

Until she could hear footsteps walking through the darkness and immediately turned around at the call of her name.

“Katara,” Mai spoke with a sign of relief as she had finally found the young woman.

“Is everything okay? Is the baby alright?” Katara rushed over to Mai and placed her hands on the swollen belly.

“The baby is fine, it’s Aang. They arrived earlier than expected and Zuko said he was injured. They won’t tell me what happened but they  **need** you,” Mai spoke hurriedly and was already pulling Katara towards the inside of the palace as she spoke.

Katara rushed inside with Mai, she didn’t even know which room Aang as in but it didn’t matter she just needed to get to him. As Mai led her into her chambers she saw the large figure of Zuko leaning the young Avatar forward off the bed. Aang’s head was slumped downwards, his body looked limp and there were white bandages wrapped around his mid section with blood seeping through.

‘ _Aang_ ’

Katara felt her heart stop, the breath in her lungs all but dissolving at the sight of him. She wanted to ask Zuko to describe what happened, wanted to lay before him and let the sadness wrack her body but her instincts took over. She pushed the memories of him from her mind when he had first been injured, when she had first known there was no life for her without him in it, and began to work. 

She climbed behind Aang’s slumped over body. Her hands slowly unwinding the bandages red with his blood and placed her hands along the wounds. As she began her work Zuko and Mai backed out of the room, blood made her queasy in her pregnant state and Zuko needed to work with his guards to ensure the palace was safe. 

As she worked the blood slowly disappeared and Katara rang it out with the water. Her eyes were cloudy, her bottom lip tightly held between her teeth and her shoulders tense. She could feel herself breathing again as the wounds began to close and Katara could feel the negative chi in his body pass out through her. It was painful, a dull throbbing sensation that pierced her skin but all she could think was  _better me than him._

When she finished with his back she laid Aang back onto the bed and crawled to sit on her knees beside him. She placed her hands on his chest, the softness of his skin and the strength of the muscle there causing her to swallow thickly. She closed her eyes, she was checking to see if everything was healed and back into place. His heart was thumping wildly and as she opened her eyes a hand loosely grasped her wrist.

_“Katara”_

She wanted to smile at the face of the man she loved lying beside her. Wanted to shake his shoulders and press her lips against his and yell at him for being so careless. For trying to leave her too soon. It was killing her inside not to intertwine their fingers, not to let her fingers find the places on him that caused those low guttural moans. 

But she couldn’t.

“You need to rest.” 

She couldn’t let herself cave in a moment of weakness. Couldn’t let herself return to a life of missing him every second and kissing him only a few. She crawled to the opposite side of the bed and got off. She left the room before Aang could say another word, left the room before the roughness of his voice enticed her, before his hand clasped her wrist.

She knew if he continued she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from telling him how much she missed him.

So over the next few weeks Katara only went in to check on Aang when he was asleep and ensured that any information she had to relay went through Zuko. She was only meant to be in the Fire Nation a few more days and then she could finally get herself out of this situation. Could finally breath again knowing he was safe because it was nearly impossible to control the calling of her heart. It was screaming at her.

 _He’s so close  
He’s right here   
_ _He’s come home_.

But she kept herself in her room, locked away and still unable to sleep. She wouldn’t even bother to attempt. She would just end up sitting on the window bench, opening it for fresh air and staring at the moon like she always did. Just like she was doing now. 

But this time just as she was about to close her eyes, finally find some peace before the sun rose in the sky, she heard her door handle move. She stood up to see who was entering and as the door swung open the tall shirtless figure of Aang appeared.

He looked directly at her and he released a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. Her curved, toned frame was engulfed in the light of the moon. Her skin radiant, her hair falling down her back, her mouth parted slightly and her eyes never wavering. Without saying a word he crossed the room. 

His body had finally almost entirely healed and he couldn’t take lying in that bed anymore. Not when she was so close. He needed to see her,  _thank her_  for everything she did in spite of it all. But once he got in front of her he realized he suddenly didn’t know what to say.

Katara couldn’t even think straight with Aang walking over to her. His body was toned from the years of hard work he had been putting in training and he had gotten to be a head taller than her over the years. His arms looked as strong and warm as ever, his features still soft, his eyes staring at her with more love than she had ever seen. 

He hadn’t been the little kid she went penguin sledding with in many years, this was a man. A man who had given his heart to her and she had torn it in half in return.

When Aang had finally reached her, when he was finally standing in front of her, he placed his hands on her face. She could feel the tears welling in her eyes.

“How can you look at me like that?”

Aang paused as he brushed strands of her hair from her eyes.

“How can you not hate me?”

Her lip caught between her teeth and her gaze turned to the ground, as the tears flooded her eyes and slid down her cheeks.

“I’ve been in love with you since the moment I opened my eyes, there is no version of me that will  **ever** hate you.”

She placed her hands on his waist and pulled his body closer the hers. She was trying to feel what she always felt as the tears ran down her cheeks. Trying to find that homely place as his arms wrapped around her, as her face rested against his chest. 

“I don’t deserve you.”

Aang pulled back, his hands wrapping themselves around her neck, her eyes finding his after all this time.

“You deserve more than I could ever give.”

Katara placed her hands on his waist, let her fingers meld into the curve of his waist, “Aang-”

But her words tumbled back down her throat as his lips collided with hers. His grip was tight in her hair, his tongue parting her mouth open, his body flush against her. Katara hadn’t felt that electrifying feeling in so long, hand’t felt the heat of him pressed against, hadn’t realized how much her body craved it. She gripped his waist harder and kissed him back. She let his tongue explore the cavern of her mouth, let her heart race and her tears dry. 

She moved her arms to wrap around his neck and pulled his kiss in deeper. In response he moved his hands down the length of her body until they were wrapping around her thighs and pulling her off the ground. She draped her legs around his waist as he walked them to the bed and placed her gently on her back. 

“I missed the way you say my name.”

Katara felt her stomach flutter as Aang laid himself on top her her, as he felt the hardness of him press against her thigh and his eyes search her face as if trying to memorize every line. 

“ _Aang_.”

Her voice was low and sultry and he was pulling her back into him as she spoke, his tongue trailing down the column of her throat, his hands undoing the sarashi that bound her, his length rubbing against her.

“ _Aang_.”

Once her bindings fell away Aang’s mouth took no time exploring familiar curves. It was hot and wet and every time his tongue ran down her skin the soft moan that erupted from her had his hands gripping even harder at her hips.

“I love you.”

Katara’s voice was soft as Aang’s head rose from her chest, his eyes wide and his mouth breaking into a smile.

“I never stopped.”

It was really all the words she needed to say because the way Aang was looking at her made her realize it was alright, it was okay. He wanted this, wanted her, had never stopped too. The way their bodies melded together that night, the way Katara’s back arched and Aang’s name tumbled of her lips, the way Aang’s hips jerked and his hands flexed around her waist,  **it was everything.**

Three years was the longest time they would ever spend apart for the rest of their lives.

**Author's Note:**

> https://carpetheotherfandoms.tumblr.com/post/162278517082/healing


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